Children and families in the Caledonia county area will feel a little extra joy this holiday season thanks to a passing vote from members of the Student Government Association.
The SGA voted to donate $2,500 to the Santa Fund, which is a fund that gives back to the community and helps disadvantaged families during the holiday months.
Former SGA president John Kleinhans proposed the fund at $1,500, which has been the traditional amount given for the past three years. After establishing a current surplus of about $38,000 dollars in the general funding of the SGA, Torrance Gaucher, a junior studying Atmospheric Sciences, motioned to increase the donation to $2,000.
In a separate motion by Daniel Weiner, an Electronic Journalism Arts sophomore, increased the donation to $2,500. The vote to donate $2,500 to the Santa Fund passed by a vote of 34 yes and four no.
“[Lyndon State] will be shown as a donor to the Santa Fund,” Dan Weiner spoke positively about the vote. “There are obviously people who live in this county who go to this school, and this reflects on us, showing that we do care about the community. I feel like this is a first step to integrate Lyndonville with Lyndon State.”
Tim Olver, a global studies senior, echoes the sentiment.
“I see this as a good thing,” he said. “There’s a lot of things this school uses our money on that we don’t see, at least this is going to a good cause.”
John Kleinhans says that though the SGA has a three-year precedent lined up on donating to this cause, they normally expect opposition. Kleinhans and most of the SGA were pleasantly surprised to see the positive reaction this year, but not everyone was satisfied with the donation.
Some students view the donation as negative because the fund comes from student activity fees and they believe that money should be used within the college.
“Spending $2,500 of the students money on something that has no direct connection to campus is not only wrong but fiscally irresponsible,” said Justin Chenette, a television studies junior. “When we can’t keep our library open, still letting go an esteemed faculty member, etc, etc. There shouldn’t be a blank check written to anything before student input. Why the Santa fund? Were students ever asked which non profit they wanted to donate to if they wanted to at all?”
Jonathan Davis, Associate Dean of Student Affairs, wondered if there were other local charities that should be considered for donation.
“This is wonderful that people are motioning to up this donation,” Davis said. “If there are other proposals through the year, as the general fund drops, we want to donate to other worthy causes. It seems like quite a sum for one particular holiday occurrence.”